VULNERABLE residents at a nursing home were allegedly mistreated by a Widnes man and his colleague, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Donald Sproule, of Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes, allegedly walked a blind man deliberately into a door, giving him a black eye, and referred to him as 'vermin' after a colleague, Mari Davies, of Manville Street, St Helens, threatened to punish the man with a freezing cold shower, it was claimed.

Davies later insulted the man with a one-fingered gesture and privileges were denied to two other men, it was alleged.

Sproule, 52, and Davies 31, denied two joint charges of wilfully ill-treating resident James Vose and a third joint charge of wilfully ill-treating resident Joe Tilston.

Sproule, a care worker, denied assaulting Mr Tilston and causing him actual bodily harm and Davies, a registered nurse, denied wilfully ill-treating John Corrigan and a further similar charge in respect of Mr Tilston.

Paul Becker, prosecuting, told the jury the incidents took place in 1999 at The Firs registered nursing home, Rainhill, owned by Community Integrated Care.

He said 65-year-old Mr Vose has learning disabilities, a short attention span and could only communicate in a simple way, while Mr Tilston, 44, is blind, profoundly deaf, has severe learning difficulties and communicates in sign language. Mr Corrigan, 39, is also registered blind and has learning difficulties.

The first allegation involved an incident in which Mr Vose had stayed in his bedroom until 7pm and was not called down for his tea. He came down upset and crying and a support worker asked if she could take him out for fish and chips, which she bought out of her own money.

The prosecution alleged a few weeks later Mr Vose was deprived of one of his regular Saturday visits to his sister and he was manhandled into his bedroom after being put into a restraining position by Sproule and Davies.

Mr Becker said an argument had ensued between Mr Vose and his room-mate and the defendants returned to the room. Mr Vose was given either a forced cool or cold shower which would have distressed him terribly as he only ever took baths, the court heard.

The same day Mr Tilston came into the garden, attempting to use his form of sign language towards Davies, who ignored him, stuck out her middle finger and told him it was a new form of sign language.

The court heard one Sunday morning Mr Tilston was allegedly grabbed by the arm by Davies after he had got up early and joined the defendants in the lounge.

Mr Becker told the court Sproule then frogmarched Mr Tilston back to his room and deliberately walked him into a door, bruising his face and leaving him with a black eye.

Sproule and Davies forced Mr Tilston inside his bedroom and closed the door.

Upon emerging from the room Sproule announced he had just had a fight with Mr Tilston, the court heard, with Sproule referring to Mr Tilston as 'vermin'.

And it was alleged John Corrigan had had his only real contact with the outside world removed when the pair stopped him paying a visit to church.